Świdnica has started!

Six days of great cinema, meetings with filmmakers, and special events await the Świdnica audience. Here’s what to look out for before the weekend in Świdnica:

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21

Screening of Życie dla początkujących (dir. Paweł Podolski) + Q&A with actress Magdalena Maścianica

Funny Polish-speaking vampires on a Tuesday afternoon? Why not! Paweł Podolski’s feature debut sheds new light on local vampire cinema. Its unique sense of humour blends with reflections on the fragility of life and the refusal to accept transience. After the 4:45 p.m. screening, there will be a meeting with lead actress Magdalena Maścianica, who received the Rising Star Award at the Mastercard Off Camera Festival.

Opening Gala, screening of LARP (dir. Kordian Kądziela), meeting with Filip Zaręba & concert

Spektrum kicks off in style! At 7:00 p.m., the festival’s opening gala begins, followed by the screening of LARP — a tender and funny coming-of-age story about first loves, courage, and friendship. After the screening, the audience will meet Filip Zaręba, the film’s lead actor. At 11:00 p.m., Zaręba will perform a special concert at Klub Bolko — not to be missed!

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 22

Screening of The Altar Boys (dir. Piotr Domalewski) + Q&A with actress Kamila Urzędowska

After winning eight awards at the 50th Polish Film Festival in Gdynia, The Altar Boys arrives in Świdnica. The film follows a group of teenage altar boys frustrated by adult indifference and church hypocrisy as they attempt to bring about their own moral reform. After the screening, there will be a discussion with Kamila Urzędowska, who plays the mother of one of the boys.

Screening of Father (dir. Tereza Nvotová)

Spektrum will host the second Polish screening of Slovakia’s Oscar candidate, Father. The life of a loving father collapses after he makes a tragic mistake. As his marriage falls apart and his loved ones drift away, he faces prison and unbearable guilt — yet still fights to rebuild trust and connection.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 23

Senior Hour: The Blue Trail (dir. Gabriel Mascaro)

At 12:30 p.m., festival organizers invite viewers to the Silver Bear winner from this year’s Berlinale. Set in near-future Brazil, the story follows 77-year-old Tereza, who is ordered by the government to relocate to a senior colony — part of a plan to exclude the elderly from society. Refusing to comply, she embarks on a transformative journey through the Amazon’s tributaries, rediscovering courage and independence. A deeply moving film about hope and resistance.

Screening of Dreams (Sex Love) (dir. Dag Johan Haugerud)

Another Berlinale highlight, Dreams (Sex Love), will have its pre-premiere screening at Spektrum. It’s a tender Norwegian film about first love — soft as a mohair sweater yet piercing as a crochet hook. The protagonist, 17-year-old Johanne, is in love with her teacher. Haugerud’s film is both shamelessly romantic and sharply insightful, a cross-generational reflection on love, desire, feminism, and the bonds of family.